Never too Late
by chantal1
Summary: Roxton and Marguerite find out it's never too late


AUTHOR : chantal  
TITLE : never too late   
RATING : PG 13 ??? i dunno , it has a sensual scene at the end , but it's not that graphic .  
SUMMARY : IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO FIX SOME MISTAKES .  
  
  
  
  
The expedition had returned to London four years ago , but to his surprise Marguerite had wished to stay behind with Veronica . She had gotten close to the jungle girl , and after an encounter with a german soldier ,had realized that her past hadn't forgotten her , that indeed she was still being chased , the only logical decision was to stay on the plateau with her new family .  
Ned Malone returned to the lost world a year ago after he had edited his stories , and collected a small fortune . Veronica had promised to wait for him , and as soon as he got there , Neddy boy's only wish was to make her his , so they got married at the Zanga village .  
Challenger and Summerlee brought Roxton news from the plateau , for they were the only two that kept visiting the place , of course leaving their destination a secret , not wanting to ruin a heavenly world with modernisation .  
  
  
Four years and still she haunted his dreams . Upon his arrival Roxton had plans to return , to fix things with Marguerite , they had parted with broken hearts , he always thought she would return with him , or at least return to London , and he would be the one to stay behind, she had acted really strange and didn't get close to him the last week he spent there . But circumstances weren't in his favor , he had to return , his mother had gotten ill , and passed away only half a year ago . He was now the only member of his family left , he had duties towards the mansion , they kept him chained to London's society , everytime he thought about leaving in the past six month , it seemed that the ghosts would tourment his mind and he wasn't over the death of his mother yet .   
  
He had never received a letter from Marguerite through Challenger or Summerlee , he had sent her a few , but quit upon not receiving any reply . Now as he sat in his bed , his head in his hands , the memory of her haunted him , her touch , her kisses , her remarks , he missed them , he missed her .  
But four years , that was quite a long time , she hadn't spoken to him , the only news he got about her was that she was living in the tree house with Ned and Veronica , but still there was something more , something Challenger seemed to hide , something the professor shared with Arthur , and they abstained themselves about telling him . He didn't give it a thought before , his mind wasn't settled , but now in the darkness , something rang a bell , there was something strange going on , something that has been going on for three years now , without him being wise enough to notice .  
He got out of bed , washed his face , and packed a small bag .  
" Challenger , Hello ? I know it's the middle of the night , but I need you to do me a favor ."  
"MMM , Who is it ?" Said a sleepy voice .  
" Challenger it's Roxton ,I want to return to the pateau , I won't put what's more important to me on hold anymore , I don't care how many ghosts haunt me ."  
"Yes Roxton , what do you want ."  
"I said I want to return to the plateau ."  
"I will talk to you tomorrow son , and we'll see what we can do ."  
  
  
  
Roxton hadn't slept , Challenger was at the mansion as soon as he remembered last night's call .  
"What is it Roxton ?"  
"I want to return to the plateau for a while ."  
"Well we have some arrangments to make , but i think we might be able to leave the day after tomorrow ."  
"That's too far ! "  
"You have waited four years Roxton , what's a day more ?"  
"You are right old man . See you after tomorrow ."  
"I shall cal you to inform you about the time of our departure ."  
"Thank you Challenger , Thank you so much ."  
"May I ask what do you excpect to do when you arrive ?"  
"There are many things i have to fix Challenger ."  
"Let me just remind me that it has been four years , that's a long time boy , and many things may have changed ."  
"What do u mean Challenger ?"  
The professor didn't reply , he walked to the door , nodding to the buttler , leaving a very confused Roxton behind .  
  
  
  
The lord , Challenger and Arthur arrived to the plateau , Roxton breathed the fresh air , a smile curling on his face , his heart was about to explode at every thought that he was about to see Marguerite . He used every strength , every fibre of will not to ask Challenger about what he had meant , perhaps ignorance was a better state to be in at this moment .  
They almost reached the tree house , when they heard a noise in the bushes , Roxton turned aiming his riffle , but all he saw was a little girl , with big green eyes and brownish hair . She ran to Challenger and gave him a big hug .  
"Hello uncle George ."  
"Hello Judy ."  
Challenger picked the girl up under the confused looks of Lord John Roxton . And before he could pronounce a word , the girl greeted Summerlee , and they started to walk towards the tree house .  
  
  
  
"Judy , there you are , I thought I had told you not to wander far .But I see you brought us guest ."  
Marguerite took the girl in her arms , and kissed Arthur and George .  
"I missed you both so much ."  
The elevator went down again , but Marguerite didn't notice she was too excited in Telling the new comers the latest news ."Veronica might be pregnant ." She told them all happy .  
"My , what great news ."  
"Yes , she and Malone went to the Zanga Village to get her checked . Can you believe that Summer ..."  
Before she could finish her sentence , Roxton came out of the elevator and their eyes met .  
"Hello Marguerite , Long time no see ."  
"What are you doing here ?" She looked at Challenger " What is he doing here ?"  
"I think we best leave you two alone ." interfeered Summerlee . " Come Judy we bought you some lovely gifts ."  
And the three headed downstairs to the rooms .  
  
  
Marguerite's legs seemed to fail her , she sat on the nearest chair , not letting go of her gaze .  
He approached her , with a strange look on his face , a mixture of love , hate , anger , sympathy and longing .  
"I wrote you , never got an answer ."  
"I , I felt it was best for both of us to keep our distances ."  
"You felt , You felt ." he nodded ." It's always about you and what's best for you isn't it ."  
"You were the one to not return ."  
"My MOTHER was dying ."  
"I am sorry , really sorry , but let's work on staying friends , too much has happened since our last quarrel ."  
He took a chair and sat in front of her .  
"You were the one who ran away from me , you were the one who barely spoke to me the last week i was here ."  
"I recon it is my fault , but you can't just barge in and judge me ."  
"You shut me out , and you made my life a living hell ever since ."  
"I couldn't return Roxton , what did you expect , half of London wants me in jail , here I am safe , I have got people who care for me ."  
"I couldn't come back with my mother on her death bed i want you to understand that ."  
"I am not blaming you , I might have been an orphan but i know what a mother means ."  
"Now I am here , and I want us to fix things ."  
"You think it's easy to return to what we were . There are too many walls ."  
She stood walking towards her room , to where Judy would be waiting . He let her go , she was right , there were too many walls . As Summerlee returned upstairs he asked .  
" Was the little girl lost when you found her ?"  
"I'm not the one who should be telling you this Roxton but the little girl is Marguerite's child ."  
Roxton was shocked , baffled , he couldn't answer , he just returned to sit on his chair , pale as a dead body , while Summerlee left the , room regretting he had opened his mouth .  
  
  
In the evening the five members gathered to dine , Judy sat beside her mother , Challenger on the other side of Marguerite , and Summerlee and Roxton facing them . They were all quiet except Judy , who kept asking Roxton every question possible . After a while , Marguerite took the child to clean her up and tuck her in bed , while the men cleaned the table and washed the dishes .  
  
  
The heiress stood behind the rail , gazing at the sky , when Roxton approached her from behind .  
" I heard she's your kid ."  
She turned to face him . " Yes , she is the best thing that has happened to me ."  
"I had noticed because of all her curiosity , she sure is her mum's daughter . How old is she ?"  
"She's three . They grow up so fast ." She smiled nervously .  
"Did you marry ?"  
" Yes for a while ." She turned to face the railing again , ashamed in a way by her confession .  
"What happened ?"  
"He died , apemen attack ."  
He put his hands on her shoulder , she was tence .   
"Marguerite I am sorry for everything that has happened ."  
"It's alright Roxton , he was from the zanga village , he died , it hurt , for a little while ."  
"I don't mean that . I am sorry for everything that has happened between us ."  
She turned and walked past him .  
"I know John , I am too ."  
  
She had married , she had a child , and jealousy ravaged him , he clutched the railing , mumbling a curse .The night seemed to be endless .   
  
  
Everyone was awake quite early that morning , waiting for Ned and Veronica to come back , Challenger and Summerlee had engaged in small talk while Marguerite made breakfast , and Judy played with Roxton .   
From the corner of her eye she watched them , and her heart ached , he was so good to her kid , even after what was told last night . He treated Judy like his own , it made Marguerite happy to see them that way , it was a picture she had once drawn in her mind as Roxton made love to her . A long time ago , too long , but in her heart it was so vivid as though it had happened yesterday .  
While preparing the table , the elevator told them that the young couple was back . They stood there ,Roxton holding Judy in his arms , waiting for the elevator to reach them , and as soon as the elevator got there , Veronica smiled at Marguerite and jumped out to hug her .  
"I am pregnant Marguerite "  
They all hugged and kissed , Ned was never happier . The hours passed so fast while they talked about future plans . And at night everybody retired to their room except Veronica , who wanted to sit and talk with Roxton , she had missed him , and wanted to catch up on his latest news .  
" So who's the lucky gal ?"  
He smiled at the innocent girl facing him . " No one could replace her ."  
"Oh Roxton , You two really know how to torture yourselves ."  
"I don't view the fact of getting married and having kids as torture ."  
"What are you talking about ?"  
"I talked to Marguerite last night . She was right , there are too many walls and she's still mourning ."  
"What ?"  
"I could see she was sad , she must've loved him ."  
"Loved who ?"  
"The Zanga she married ."  
"She married him , to save our lives , to save everybody's life , so we could make peace with them ."  
"I don't understand ."  
" A war almost broke between us because of a misunderstanding . Challenger accidently shot a zanga . They got married to bring peace . And later he died while saving her , she never loved him , but in his last moment she felt grateful to have him , he saved her , and it hurt her , that is a humanly thing , everybody feels , but it doesn't mean it's love ."  
"And the child ."  
"You know the answer Roxton , you are not as blind as to not to see her eyes , or her features ."  
He ran his hand through his hair , standing up , crossing the room then returning to sit .  
"Why didn't she tell me , i mean when , and how ?"  
"Sit down Roxton , and calm down . If there's someone who sHould be going nutts that's me because Marguerite will kill me if she finds out I told you ."  
"Indeed I am ." Came a voice from behind .  
Veronica stood , nervously trying to smile at the heiress ." I think Ned needs me , I better leave you two to settle things ."  
And she rushed downstairs before Marguerite pronounced any word .  
Roxton rose to his feet as she came closer .   
"Why didn't you tell me ."  
"I was afraid ."  
" But I always wanted this , we could have raised her in London , we could have gotten married ."  
"I didn't want my child to be considered a bastard , and more than that , i didn't want my past to hunt her ."  
"I could've protected you ."  
"Not against those people ."  
"When did you find out ?"  
"The last week you were here ."  
"My god Marguerite , I am her father , I have a daughter , one that does not know who I am."  
"I don't want her to suffer when you leave to London , so I don't think she should be told ."  
"You can't deny me that right Marguerite ."  
"After four years you can't just walk into my life this way and take the only thing that made my life worth living since you left ."  
" Will you not come to London ."  
"No Roxton , there's too much at stake , and she is happy here , you will be ripping her of uncle Ned and Aunt Veronica , and her Zanga friends , and soon her new cousins . think Roxton , Think of what's best for her . if you take her you will destroy me ."  
Marguerite couldn't contain her tears any longer , and Roxton had never seen her this way .  
"I beg you Roxton , take everything , I have many jewels , but not her , not my baby girl ."  
He came closer , putting a hand on her cheek .  
"I will not Marguerite , I am not that cruel , I shall leave her with you , just know that my heart is broken too , she's all I wanted to share with you , she's still all i want to share with you , if only i could go back in time ."  
He hugged her , and she returned the hug ,   
"We can't ." And with that he broke away from her arms and headed to his room .  
"Roxton , wait ."  
He stopped and turned to her as she walked towards him .  
"Is there a possibility that you might visit from time to time , I think Judy would love to spend time with you ."  
"Yes , yes , that would be wonderful ."  
He sweeped her up and hugged her .  
"Thank you Marguerite , thank you . "  
As he put her down , their familiar gazes resurfaced , she looked in his eyes and he looked in hers , it had been a long time , and there was no denying that a spark was still alive between them .  
He kissed her , his arms still resting on her waist .   
"I missed this ."  
"I have too ."  
"Mummy ."  
They both turned to see Judy standing in front of her mother's room .  
"Judy , baby , come here , there's someone I want you to meet ."  
She held her in her arms and turned to Roxton .  
"Judy , this is your daddy ."  
The child smiled ."This is the man from the picture ."  
"What picture Judy ?" Asked Roxton .  
"The one mummy keeps under her pillow ."  
Roxton looked at Marguerite , but she looked at the child , trying not to look too embarassed . The three of them sat on the balcony , sharing stories with Judy , making her understand the role Roxton played in her life , and that he wouldn't always be on the plateau but will come to visit as much as he could .  
  
  
The next morning , Veronica found the three of them snuggled on the balcony , she smiled to herself ,after all she thought it wasn't that bad of an idea to tell Roxton the truth .  
An hour later everybody was up for breakfast and for the first time they all seemed relaxed .  
  
" Veronica would you mind taking care of Judy , I want to go to the pond and have a nice bath ."  
"Of course Marguerite I would be delighted ."  
"I'll keep watch on you ." Said Roxton as she headed to the elevator .  
"It's alright , I have been doing this without watch for a long time now ."  
"Nonetheless , old habits die hard ."  
He grabbed his rifle and got in the elevator .  
"Bye daddy ." They all looked at the child perplexed , then smiled , for at last things were on the way of being completely fixed .  
  
  
  
  
  
At the pond   
"Turn please ."  
"Marguerite I have seen you naked ."  
"That was under a different circumstance ."  
When Marguerite made sure he was turned the other way , she faced the pond and started to undress . She felt a hand carress her bare back , and she tensed knowing it was Roxton as he leaned on her neck to place a hot kiss .  
It was too much for her to handle , she turned to face him , and felt his breath in her face.  
"This is inapropriate ." She mumbled as he caressed her back , making her surrender with every touch .  
"It feels right for me ."  
He kissed her passionatly , as though transmitting four years of bottled passion in that kiss .  
She broke his kiss , and headed to the pond , he watched her take the last pieces of her clothing off , and go gently into the water . Giving him an inviting look as she turned and smiled to him .  
He waited until she swam away from the shore , then followed her hastly taking his shirt and boots off , he joined her in the water , and as much as she wanted to say no or to stop him before things got out of hand , she couldn't and she surrendered to him , as he held her close .   
She wrapped her legs around his waist , as they shared one kiss after another , making love .  
  
  
They both lay on the grass partially dressed , with his arm resting on her belly .  
He put his head on his hand and looked her in the eyes .  
"Marry me Marguerite ."  
"Oh Roxton ." She sat ." It won't be easy , you in London , me here ."  
"Who said anything about London , Marry me ."  
"I .. "  
He placed a kiss on her lips to shut her .  
" Let us build a family , share one life , I will return to London hand the mansion and the lands to Challenger ... I have been away for enough time , nothing holds me there , and i was just too stubburn to see that ."  
" A family of our own ."  
"Yes , me you and Judy , and who knows who the future might add ."  
"I like that ."  
" So do I ."  
"But I can't ." She said pretending to frown .  
"Why Marguerite ? I don't understand you just said ...."  
"But You didn't offer me a ring ." She laughed .  
"Why you .... " He held her tight , and kissed her neck . " I missed you ."  
  
  
  
  
  
feedback is always appreciated . 


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